Geoffrey Durham

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Geoffrey Durham (born 22 July 1949 in Surrey) is a British comedy magician and actor who was known for many years as The Great Soprendo.[1]

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[edit] Early life

Durham was born in East Molesey, Surrey, England. At the age of ten he developed an interest in magic and performed occasional shows for friends and relatives. By the age of 13, however, that interest had waned. He later studied Spanish at Leeds University and then took a job as a stage-hand at the City Varieties Theatre in Leeds. He worked there 18 months, ending up as head flyman, and then left to become an actor. After working in various stage shows for several years his interest in magic was rekindled while preparing for a show in Liverpool, in which his character performed some tricks. He dug out some of his old props and found he enjoyed learning and performing magic so much that he decided to make it his new career.[1]

[edit] Magic career

He presented a magic act as an outrageous Spanish magician for at least 15 years before performing as himself. His catchphrase was "Piff Paff Puff!". As The Great Soprendo, Durham appeared in many children's TV shows, including Crackerjack, and appeared in theatres all over the country.

After ditching his disguise as Soprendo, Durham has had continued success in his own right. He is a regular contributor to the Channel 4 game show Countdown, and his Newspaper Tear featured on the Fifty Greatest Magic Tricks on the same channel. He occasionally appears as one of the Puzzle Panel on BBC Radio 4.

Durham is a member of the Inner Magic Circle, and was presented with the Maskelyne Award in 2002. Durham had previously refused to join the Magic Circle because membership was only open to men, and was instead a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

[edit] Screen acting

Durham has done some screen acting, most notably in the 1987 film Wish You Were Here, which also starred Emily Lloyd and Tom Bell.

[edit] Quakers

In 1994 Durham went to a Quaker meeting and became a member of the Society of Friends two years later. He has described his life with Quakers as "the single most inspiring, moving and rewarding thread running through the whole of my adult life". He is currently heavily involved with the Quaker outreach programme Quaker Quest. [2]

[edit] Personal life

Durham married writer and comedian Victoria Wood in March 1980, but they separated in October 2002. The couple have a daughter called Grace and a son called Henry.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Magic profile: Geoffrey Durham. MagicWeek.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  2. ^ Expressing our uncertainty in no uncertain terms. Quakers in Britain. Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
  3. ^ Comic Wood splits from husband. BBC News (25 Oct 2002). Retrieved on 2008-03-18.